Blood Orange Ricotta Bundt Cake
Citrusy, fluffy, and full of spunky bright flavor, this Blood Orange Ricotta Bundt Cake is the perfect early-spring themed dessert! The bundt cake is infused with blood orange juice, as well as blood orange zest, which really creates a huge citrus flavor-punch! The cake is also made with ricotta, making the final product unmatched in it’s tenderness and moistness! And we can’t forget that gorgeous glaze! Blood orange juice and confectioners sugar come together to make an insanely simple, yet flavorful glaze to finish off the Blood Orange Ricotta Bundt Cake!
What are blood oranges
Blood oranges are a type of orange that have deep red colored flesh! This gorgeous red color comes from the presence of anthocyanin, which is a naturally occurring pigment that is found throughout different fruits and flowers. Blood oranges can range from being just slightly steaked with the red hue, to being fully and completely stained red throughout its flesh. Blood oranges are also sweeter in flavor and have less seeds than a regular orange!
Rubbing the blood orange zest
You may notice in the instructions that it says to rub the blood orange zest with some sugar. The reason for doing this is because it maximizes the orange zest flavor! The flavor and fragrance of any citrus zest is in it’s essential oils, and we can release those oils through an abrasive action, such as rubbing. Sugar’s grainy, uneven texture is perfect for this! After zesting the orange, add the sugar to it, and then using your hands, rub the zest with the sugar. When it is properly rubbed, the sugar should be slightly orange in color, and very very fragrant!
How to make the Blood Orange Ricotta Bundt Cake
1. Rub sugar and orange zest: Add the sugar and the blood orange zest toa medium sized bowl, then rub the zest and the sugar together until well fragrant.
1.Beat eggs and sugar: Add the eggs, zest/sugar, and vanilla to your stand mixer, then beat the three together for about 3-4 minutes. By the end, it should be fluffy, and be tripled in volume.
2. Add oil and blood orange juice: Turn the stand mixer down to medium speed, then slowly drizzle the oil into the stand mixer while it continues to beat. After all the oil has been added, add in the blood orange juice and beat the mixture for another 30 seconds.
3. Whisk together the dry ingredients: In a separate mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, and cardamom, then whisk them together to combine.
4. Alternate add the dry & wet to stand mixer: First add the 1/3 of the dry ingredients, then beat until just combined. Add ½ of the ricotta, and beat until just combined. Continue adding the wet & dry in this order, until all of the ingredients have been added (you’ll finish with the dry).
5. Add to pan & bake: Pour the Blood Orange Ricotta Bundt Cake batter into a prepared bundt pan, then place into the oven to bake! When done, allow the Blood Orange Ricotta Bundt Cake to cool completely before glazing!
Ricotta in Cake?
You may have looked at the title or recipe and thought, cheese in cake?! But hear me out! The addition of ricotta into baked goods, such as this Blood Orange Ricotta Bundt Cake or in something like Ricotta Pancakes, serves a wonderful purpose – it makes the cake soooooo incredibly moist! The ricotta also helps make the cake fluffy as well, and adds a lovely rich flavor to the cake, which compliments the brightness from the blood orange!
Get the Recipe: Blood Orange Ricotta Cake
Ingredients
Blood Orange Ricotta Bundt Cake
- 2 ¼ cups All Purpose Flour,, measured correctly †
- 1 ½ tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Table Salt
- 1/2 tsp Cardamom
- 1 ½ cups Sugar
- Zest of 2 Blood Oranges
- 3 Large Eggs
- 1 ½ tsp Vanilla
- 3/4 cup Vegetable Oil
- Juice of 2 Blood Oranges
- 3/4 cup Full Fat Ricotta
Blood Orange Glaze
- 2 cups Confectioners Sugar
- 2-3 tbsp Freshly Squeezed Blood Orange Juice
Equipment
- Stand mixer
Instructions
Blood Orange Ricotta Bundt Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F, and prepare a bundt pan by coating with butter and a dusting of flour. In a medium to large sized mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt, then whisk together to combine. In a separate bowl, add the sugar and blood orange zest, then rub together the sugar and zest until the sugar is all colored orange and very fragrant, set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add eggs, blood orange-zest-sugar, and vanilla. Beat on high for around 3-4 minutes, the mixture should look thick, fluffy, and be tripled in volume. Then, slowly drizzle in the oil. After all the oil has been added, and the blood orange juice and beat on high for an additional minute.
- On low, add the dry mixture to the stand mixer in 3 additions, alternating with the ricotta in between. Beat only until the batter becomes smooth. Add the batter to the prepared bundt pan, then bake in the oven for around 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow cake to cool completely before glazing.
Blood Orange Glaze
- Add all the ingredients into a bowl, and whisk well to combine. (Add just enough blood orange juice to make the glaze fluid but still quite thick). Pour or pipe over the cooled cake to glaze.
Very interesting recipe. What size of Bundt pan is recommended?
I used a 10 cup capacity pan!
Such a beautiful cake! Made it this morning and I’m so pleased with how rich and tasty the cake is, plus my house smells amazing! Thanks for the recipe!